The world’s first ‘all-in-one’ electric bus (e-bus) charger and charging post has been installed on the streets of Warsaw by leading Polish electric vehicle (EV) recharging developer and supplier Ekoenergetyka-Polska.
The new quickPoint column charger that was manufactured by Ekoenergetyka and installed in the Polish capital, was designed specially to respond to the requests of cities that want e-bus charging infrastructure to suit their urban architecture. The 200kW device, which has a footprint of only 4.2 x 2.6ft (1.3 x 0.8m), reduces the space needed for high-power e-bus charging at the end of the bus route, and blends with the bus colors, providing visual identification for electric bus charging. The Warsaw deployment is the world premiere of the new design of e-bus charger that brings together the charging mast and the recharger equipment in one compact unit.
Previously, the e-bus charging industry was used to separating the two elements required for vehicle recharging at the end of the bus route, which was posing problems in many cities concerned about how the bulky e-bus charging station would fit in with their urban architecture and landscape. The new device developed and manufactured by Ekoenergetyka offers a solution to this problem, as the footprint of the quickPoint column charger is 50% smaller than an equivalent, standard 200kW charger and charging mast combo. Made of steel and equipped with LED lights, the device signals when it is on ‘stand-by’ (white LEDs) and charging mode (blue).
The Warsaw charger has been painted in yellow and red, the colors of the buses operated by the city’s leading transit provider, MZA Warszawa. The quickPoint column charger works according to all international EV charging standards. The charger is equipped with a pantograph and charges the bus automatically on route, when it stops to pick up passengers. As an extra feature, Ekoenergetyka offer cities an option to fit the device with a publicity screen on its rear side, providing operators with the opportunity to provided extra information or gain additional revenue. The device is the first of a comprehensive charging infrastructure project that Warsaw is preparing for its planned deployment of 130 electric buses.
“Having delivered over 80 e-bus chargers to cities all over Europe during the last four years, we had a chance to really listen to what the cities want and need, explained Bartosz Kubik, Ekoenergetyka’s CEO. “Requests for ‘opportunistic’ charging infrastructure that suits urban architecture was something we heard very often. That’s why we made the quickPoint column charger, which offers charger and charging post in one. The advantages presented by the device its small size, attractive design, and the possibility of changing its color make it an attractive choice for cities. While not all urban centers will opt for charging at bus stops, for many it will be necessary. We hope our device will show them that now they can have charging infrastructure that not only charges, but also looks good.”
